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Although ATI’s X1000 series graphics processors have stolen a great deal of the attention off its predecessors, there remains no Linux 3D support at this time for these latest red solutions. However, for Linux users with the present status of ATI’s proprietary drivers the X800 remains a respectable solution for those not looking to fall to the green team with their overwhelming Linux presence. Up on our review block today we have the X800XL 256MB from the folks over at Power Color.

An updated version of Rocks’n’Diamonds has been released. Rocks’n’Diamonds is an arcade style game based on Boulderdash from the Commorade 64 days. Fixes in this release include an important bugfix as it fixes the ability for people to edit private levels with the level editor.

Laminar Research has released the Linux version of X-Plane 8.21 that is only available on DVD.Version 8.21 comes as an upgrade or full version together with the Global-Scenery package which requires 60 GB of harddisk space, and it shows! It is available from x-plane.com or the community website x-plane.org or local stores, the upgrade offer is limited. The next version, X-Plane 8.30 is available for testing as Beta and works like before as update for the full version or as time limited demo.

The freeware X-Plane multiplayer plugin XSquawkBox was released as final version 1.0 two months ago, it lets you play with other X-Plane or Microsoft Flight Simulator pilots on VATSIM, IVAO and other networks with “real world” implications.

Silent Wings is another professional flight simulator but specialized in gliders that has seen four minor version updates last year with (guessing) lots of improvements and bugfixes. Also some new models and many new scenery packs have been released, even of formerly for extra payment considered places.Silent Wings is Shareware with two weeks evaluation time (not “two weeks”, mind you) and interestingly, it is one of the few commercial games that are developed on Linux rather than ported from Windows, and development continues, as version 1.06 introduces the promised multiplayer support and turbulences. The current beta is at version 1.06-2.

“Noo, not here too!” you scream, but it’s useless.Today, LinuxHardware.org is back after a long wait with a marvelous test as expected, comparing today’s released AMD Athlon 64 FX-60 with intel’s Pentium Extreme Edition 955 that will be available on January 16 along with a new chipset, both dual core chips and adding the fastest single core CPUs from both sides for good measure.

Go right ahead to the article if you are really willing to spend a grand on a CPU.

Introduced in ATI’s v8.19.10 proprietary display drivers for their RADEON series was support for PowerPlay. For the uninitiated, ATI’s PowerPlay allows the user to specify various “power-states”, or rather various frequencies and voltages at which the card can operate. The purpose for these various performance levels is ultimately to allow mobile users to save on battery life through running at reduced speeds when not performing strenuous 3D tasks.

A reader let us know that Airline Tycoon Deluxe, which has been listed with “final candidate” status on the RuneSoft website for quite a while now, has now arrived at Tux Games. Airline Tycoon Deluxe is an economic simulation game where the player is tasked with managing an airline; features include airplane purchasing/maintenance, route plotting, financial management (such as offering shares on the stock market), and sabotage(!) against competitors.

Decane (formerly indies@work) released the 1.0 shareware version of their family friendly multiplayer game SuperMaze.

SuperMaze is a simple humorous nonviolent 3D hunt-and-shoot game using Smilies as the main actors in a maze style environment. It utilizes the well known Torque Game Engine, is fully networked with up to 16 players and multi platform.The registered version of SuperMaze is available for 10 Euro from share*it! and unlocks the map editor.

I really do apologize to the Mac and Linux fans out there, I really had no idea people would be so eager to play something that we ourselves considered buggy and merely a play-test. As a result of seeing many “:(” smilies in e-mails and on IRC, we rushed into production a Linux version of IC 0.0.1 to satisfy the penguins among us.

Since the package is different, multiplayer games will most likely not work between different platforms yet.

Python Kye, is a clone of the classic Kye which is an unusual little puzzle game that uses variety of different types of objects that you need to figure out their behavior for and then put to use. This 0.5 release of the game has the following changes:

We have wrapped up our Linux testing in the eVGA e-GeForce 7800GT CO 256MB review. Not only have we tested this G70 card that runs at above normal frequencies but we have also ran additional comparison benchmarks with a GeForce 6600GT in SLI AFR, eVGA 6800GT 256MB, and the 7800GT card at overclocked speeds. In the article it can be seen where the various NVIDIA cards perform under Linux and where they hold up respectively with their AA and AF modes.

Thanks to me for pointing out that XGI has released version 1.04.13 of their Linux driver supporting the Volari V3XT, V5, V8, and V8 Ultra graphics cards. This release adds 3D functions and support for Linux 2.6.